The Moon and More

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen
4/5 stars
Viking, 2013
435 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Received an ARC from publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge Sarah Dessen fan; I've read all of our books and thus was thrilled to receive an early copy of her latest release. With the gorgeous cover, I was expecting my usual Dessen comfort read. Could it live up to the impossibly high standards set by This Lullaby and The Truth About Forever? Probably not but it would still be good. I was right to predict that this would not be my favorite Dessen but for different reasons than I expected.

For me, I think my love of Dessen relates mostly to her amazing writing that builds fantastic characters, rich and complex yet realistic contemporary worlds, and sawoony romances (see Remy + Dex and Macy + Wes). Well those first two are present here but the last one is mostly missing. Although I had felt Dessen's novels were becoming a bit formulaic (especially noticeable to me in What Happened to Goodbye and the reason I thought I might not like this one), this change still didn't entirely please me. I don't want to spoil anything but you can email me to discuss :)

The book opens with Emaline in a relationship with Luke, possibly the hottest young guy in town. But as the summer before college progresses, Emaline finds herself drawn to something new, maybe something more with summer visitor Theo. Sounds very romantic, right? Well, that relationship never really flourishes like the two I previously mentioned as Emaline grapples with family tensions and with trying to figure out her own desires in comparison to how Theo plunges ahead. Her mother has always wanted "the moon and more" for her but what does that mean to Emaline?

As I said, the romance wasn't as dreamy as previous relationships in Dessen novels with Theo trying way too hard and Emaline tolerating his try. There were some awkward parts to me although I believe that was intentional on Dessen's part. On the family side, I wish we had gotten to know Emaline's older sisters a bit better (I'm thinking of the family dynamic in Just Listen especially) but at least we have her friends Morris and Daisy whose colorfulness certainly brightened my day.

Overall: For me, this book was mostly a victim of my expectations: I appreciate every Dessen book I get even though I don't always love them. I still think this is a great summer read and I definitely recommend it to fans of Dessen's previous novels as well as those looking for a great summer contemporary read.

Other Opinions:
Candace's Book Blog
Clear Eyes, Full Shelves
Jen Ryland/YA Romantics
The Midnight Garden

What Happened to Goodbye

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
Viking, 2011
402 pages
YA; Contemporary
4/5 stars

Source: Library

Is there anything better than a good YA Contemporary by one of your favorite authors, who consistently delivers an enjoyable story with a sweet romance?  I love falling into a Sarah Dessen novel and I enjoyed the multiple references to previous novels (characters, places, things), which help define the Sarah Dessen universe.

I'll admit at first that I was skeptical because the main character's name is Mclean, which to me is a last name and certainly not a girl's name BUT there's an explanation and soon I really felt for Mclean.  For the last two years she's been living with her dad as they travel around the US, each time recreating herself and becoming a new person easily shedding her previous iteration.  Meanwhile relations with her mother are strained as she had an affair and has now set up a new life with a new husband and twins.  But in Lakeview things are different as Mclean falls into friendships easily and begins to rethink her relationship with her mother.

The writing style is distinctly Sarah Dessen and thus comfortable for me as I've read all of her previous novels.  I feel like Dessen does a great job creating complex parents (see-parents aren't completely invisible in YA!) and giving the MC several colorful friends instead of just one.  My particular favorite was Deb, whose intensity and mysterious background make her one of my favorite Dessen characters ever.  Other friends include Riley, Heather, Ellis, and love interest Dave.  Her relationship with Dave is unique and bumpy and not as sawoony as Remy and Dexter's or Macy and Wes's but good enough for people who aren't craving a romantic novel.

I also enjoyed the evolution of Mclean's opinions of her parents.  Although she sided with her father after her mother's heinous betrayal, she ends up remembering how much she really does love her mother and I feel like that's the real meat of the story.

Overall: I like this one; I just happen to love This Lullaby and The Truth About Forever so it suffers a bit in comparison.

Have you read any Sarah Dessen books? What is/are your favorite? Those were the first two I read and I wonder if that's why they're my favorites.